Harry Potter: Payments to the Earth
by Szulu
Summary: After Harry Potter is 'Killed' by Peter Petigrew on a magic lay line which happened to be spiking at the time of his death, a pact was formed between Harry and the Earth and Gaia was born. Years later Gaia is found accidentally and has been assigned to join Sirius Black in hunting down and killing Peter. Starts from book three obviously AU and Potters live.
1. Chapter 1: Wormtail Kill Or Capture

**Once again this is Un-Betaed, Im betaing it right now...maybe you'll never know**

**Sorry bout this... Ok no I'm not I just keep having these ideas for stories and I see no reason not to write them.**

**Mehh anyway, lets just hope I can actually stick with one of these some day XD**

**Now with awesome ****side story thingy... No corrections yet though...**

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The meeting hall was a rowdy place. It featured drunks and half broken tables, and the smell of alcohol pervaded everything. At the counter a grizzled and scar covered man stood polishing mugs, and making small talk with the costumers. Off in the corner was a large cork board covered in papers, some were bounties, offering money for the death or capture of the depicted offender. Others offered money to complete miscellaneous jobs. People, both men and women cluttered around the board, debating which jobs to take, and of they would be working together. If you listened you could hear the older men and women discussing jobs, and offering advice to any who would listen.

It was into this backwater, and rowdy tavern that the black haired man walked, clutching a paper. The man approached the board, making his way past the others cluttering around it. He then slapped his paper onto the board with a load bang, immediately brining the noise to a close, and drawing all attention to himself.

"This man is Peter Petigrew, until recently he has been held in Azkaban." The man looked around at his audience, meeting each person's eyes. "He is charged with being a death-eater and with the death of Harry Potter, brother of Daniel Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and is extremely dangerous. He is an estimated A+ class criminal." At this point people began to shuffle away. Very few were willing to take on willing to take on a B+ criminal let alone A class. The man continued seemingly unfazed. "He has been known to use all three of the unforgivable curses and is extremely cunning. As of now his whereabouts are unknown," even more backed away, this job couldn't be worth any amount of money, "This being the case I will be acting as the tracker for this mission, I assure you there is no better man for the job." The man finished his statement with a wolfish grin. "The target can be taken dead or alive , alive however is preferable." Glancing around one more time the man grew disheartened, it seemed that only the over confident newbies were left, the veterans seemed to have decided this wasn't worth the trouble. "The reward upon the missions completion is 500,000 galleons, any takers?"

For a few moments everything was quiet, while the mans words settled in. And then chaos erupted, as the mercenaries tried to make their decisions. "Quiet!" yelled a loud and commanding voice from behind the bar. And just like that silence fell. "All you rookies are fools, thinking you can take on an A+ class criminal, you'll be dead before you ever see him!" All of the mercs. Who had been discussing looked aggravated first and then, after a heated glance from the bartender, changed to looks of resigned acceptance. The black haired man ground, he needed a partner for this, Peter wasn't going to come quietly, more then anything he needed a killer. He needed a man who would kill no questions asked, he needed a professional.

"Look boy I'm not trying to sabotage the job offer, but it seems to that you need better then this lot." The bartender gestured to the amassed crowd and then returned to cleaning his glasses, "sounds to me like you need a professional." The clamoring died down as all eyes fell on the scared man.

"Chief. You don't mean…?"

"I do Boris, if what is being said about this, Petigrew, then someone like him is needed, someone who doesn't stop until the job is done, what he needs is an emotionless demon of a man, a man like Gaia."

"Who is this Gaia?" Asked the black haired man, rejoining the conversation.

"Gaia is one of the best Mercs. I've ever met, no because he's strong I've seen plenty stronger then him, but because he doesn't stop, ever. Young too." A collective shudder ran through the building followed by fear filled nods of conformation.

The contractor felt his blood run cold, who was this Gaia, that he could command so much fear and respect for these battle hardened veterans? And what was that the bartender said? That he wasn't the strongest he'd seen?

Seeing the question in the other mans eyes the barkeep spoke up, "Gaia is feared by many people for many reasons. For some its the lack of emotion in one so young. Although honestly from what I've seen from him that comes and goes." He stopped, to turn around and replace the glass on the shelf, before turning around to continue. "No the real reason for the fear is that people have seen Gaia die, only to get up and continue fighting, as if nothing happened." At this many turned to their alcohol in both reminiscence and fear.

The black haired man scoffed, drawing heated looks from those around him. "Thats impossible, it has to be a rumor." The man stopped and released another barking laugh. "Honestly either you people are real gullible or this is some really well thought out prank."

"Its no lie, I've seen it my self." The speaker was a middle aged man, who couldn't have been older then fifty, he sported a long greying beard and many scars, all of which spoke to his experience as a mercenary. As he spoke his expression became more vacant as if he was dredging up a particularly scaring memory. "I first met Gaia on a job which we were working together on. Must have been at least B class." The man took a swig of his ale, and continue speaking, "When I first met Gaia, I was sure it was a joke. His eyes were full of life and he was young to boot, sure signs of inexperience. Now that I think about it his sword was almost the same size as his body back then. Honestly he looked ridiculous. Surely, I thought to my self, they wouldn't send a newbie on a mission to take out a group of dark wizards, it would be like signing his death warrant." The bearded man gave a mirthless chuckle. "Well it was no joke, he really was part of our team, and so we went. Gaia was all smiles, a complete child, amused with the smallest of things, always wanting to be helpful." The man's eyes seemed to brighten at this, as if recalling a pleasant memory before the brightness faded. "Then the mission began. We were waiting in ambush around the enemies' camp, reports said we would only have to expect three or four of them, and with our four man team we figured it wouldn't be much trouble. As soon as the fighting began, Gaia leapt into action, as soon as he closed the distance, the enemy stood no chance, its funny really most wizards never expect to be slashed open with a sword, so they don't prepare for it." Another life less chuckle escaped his lips. "Four enemies later and we thought we had won. Most of us were proud of Gaia for one so young he did handled himself well. Gaia was all smiles. And then the reinforcements showed up. Gaia didn't even have time to react. I can still remember the sound, of Gaia's insides exploding." The man's eyes went from vacant to haunted.

The contractor knew that Curse. It bordered on becoming an unforgivable itself, but due to its rarity was only considered highly illegal dark magic. It the curse literally caused all the bones and organs in the body to implode. There was no way anyone could survive its full effects. So why did these men talk about him as if he were alive? What the said about him dying, it couldn't be true. Could it?

"We were all stunned, seven dark wizards had ambushed us and killed the youngest of the group. We were all to surprised to do much of anything, I barely had time to put up a shield spell on myself. The other two members of the group weren't so lucky, and they suffered the same fate as Gaia had." Said the man with a grimace. "My shields gave out, and one of the dark wizards was about to finish we off, same as the rest. And then he died with a sword though his gut, Gaia's sword. And there he was. Standing with a gaping wound in his stomach, a wound which was closing rapidly. I was sure I was hallucinating, sure that I was already dead, and this was all just something I made up to ease my final moments of life, sure that no child could have soulless eyes like his, eyes that don't feel anything." His voice faded as with the end of his sentence, and he seemed to fall deep into reverie, before he shook his head, snapping out of his recollection. "By the time I released I was still alive, the other targets we all dead, and the boy, Gaia, was standing above me offering his hand to help me up. In that moment, as I looked into his soulless eyes, eyes on a face caked in blood, I came to the conclusion that the Gaia I had worked with all those days was dead, in his place stood a demon, a monster that cannot feel, that cannot die." The man trailed off again but this time he did not speak up again, he only one last deep swig of ale, and then stared into space, brining the conversation to a close.

The contractor stood in shocked silence. If what they said was true then why hadn't he heard of Gaia, someone like that, they should be know and feared, there was no way. "Why haven't I heard about this Gaia? Sounds to me that someone like that would be feared around the globe."

The bartender looked up from his idle polishing of the table to respond with a chuckle. "Come now, who would believe that a Thirteen year old was a cold blooded mercenary."

"Impossible…" Awe and fear laced his every word. "When you said young, I didn't think… dear god what will he become? What if he goes dark, we'll have more to worry about then Voldemort."

"I don't think we have to worry about that." Responded the barkeep. "Gaia doesn't have ambition, he just exists. Honestly there are few reasons Gaia's a merc, what other legal jobs would pay a child enough to get by on. The kid was lucky enough to be trained by Joshua to use a sword, other wise he wouldn't even stand a chance out there."

The black-haired man gulped, "I just hope for all our sakes, that he stays that way." Nervously the man scratched the back of his head, "alright then, I Sirius Black, request the services of Gaia."

The barkeep chuckled lightly, "No need to get all formal now mister Black, I'll contact Gaia."

* * *

The boy walked down the dirt road, he had been wandering though the open fields of Ireland for a few days now, in search of his target, nearly seven hours ago he had found the man, a one Vincent Calloch. The target was a B+ class dark wizard, and he hadn't expected much trouble.

The boy adjusted the simple sword which rested on his back, in a equally simple leather sheath, next to his faithful rucksack, trying to get it to a more comfortable position. He glanced up at the sky, his black bangs shifting so that his emerald green eyes, as well as the long scar which stretched from the upper left of his forehead to his right cheek were visible. For the first time in days the sky was clear. It was the color of blue that you could only find out in the country side, away from civilization, and not a cloud was in the sky. If it were just a few degrees warmer the day would be perfect. As it was now the boy had to wear his warmer clothing, which consisted of a green turtle neck, and a pair of khakis.

The boy attempted a smile at the sky, this should make him happy right? A day as great as this was supposed to make you happy. At least he thought it was. A few days ago he would have known, would have done so without trying. Vincent however proved his expectations wrong. And for underestimating his foe he had, had to make a payment, and just like always he paid with his emotions. Not that it mattered now. The job was complete and soon he would be paid, he would be set on food for the next few months. It would last far longer if his eating habits were not so abnormal.

He realized that he ate far more then most humans his age. Most days he could eat seven or eight courses, though when on the job he rationed himself to eat what others would, it was a skill he quickly picked up on the fact that carrying that much food around wasn't practical, even with a magically enchanted bag.

It was during these thoughts that a voice cut in from his bag, "Gaia? Gaia, you there?" the voice was gruff and commanding, in the background, Gaia could hear the faint sounds of a tavern. Gaia stopped misstep, and unslung his bag, before crouching down and rifling though its contents. After finding what he was looking for he removed his hand from the bag, clutching a small mirror. The mirror was simple, like most other things Gaia owned. It had no boarder and was about the size of his palm, however instead of his own reflection the was face of the man called 'Chief.'

Gaia gazed impassively down at the bartender "Is there something I can do for you, Chief?" Gaia's tone was flat, devoid of all emotion, a stark contrast to what the barkeep had heard just yesterday, during Gaia's last status report.

"So he managed to kill you eh?" The boy nodded in conformation. "Well anyhow, I've got a job for you, pays good, and you were specially requested. Clients a one Sirius Black. You up for it?"

How odd, thought Gaia, he wondered if this was his godfather, or some other Sirius Black. Normally Gaia wouldn't take another mission so soon after another one, he did after all only do this to support himself, and his eating habits, but he was curious and the Chief had said it paid well. "I will speak with the client, can you port key me?"

The barkeep gave a toothy smile before responding, "Of course Gaia, be ready to go in two."With those words the mirror clouded over replacing the Chief's face with Gaia's impassive one.

Doing a quick check of himself and his possessions, Gaia found noting missing. He then returned his attention to the hand mirror which he grasped tightly waiting of the the magic to take effect. The mirror glowed faintly and then Gaia gave a sudden lurch, which was followed immediately by an uncomfortable pull behind his navel as the port key became active.

* * *

Sirius sat down on a bar stool and watched as the man the mercs. called Chief, reached under the counter and removed a small had mirror. Setting it down he then reached into his pocket and removed his wand, a knurled old thing which quite obviously had a history. It was a deep ebony in color and was covered in nicks and was chipped in many places, it was a miracle the thing still worked. Idly Sirius wondered how many wands the grizzled bar keep had been through. 'Chief' then tapped his wand on the mirror and said,"Gaia?, Gaia you there?" a rustling sounded out of the mirror, as the boy presumable removed his own communication device.

Then after a few seconds of rustling a boy's voice sounded through the barkeeps mirror, it was flat and emotionless but it was a boy's voice nonetheless, "It there something I can do for you, Chief"

The man gave a grimace before replying, "So he managed to kill you eh?" Sirius flinched at that, honestly this man had no tact. "Well anyhow, I've got a job for you, pays good, and you were specially requested. Clients a one Sirius Black. You up for it?"

There was a short pause as the boy thought before replying, "I will speck with the client, can you port key me?"

Sirius watched the barkeep shoot the largest smile he had yet seen the man give, "Of course Gaia, be ready in two."

Finished speaking 'Chief' turned to him, "He'll be here in two minutes, be ready. And remember Gaia's a professional, kids aren't killers. And Gaia is a killer."

He then turned back to the mirror and tapped it with his wand again, whispering an incantation under his breath, that caused the mirror to glow faintly, as the port key became active. The space next to the mirror began to twist impossibly as the port key's magic came into effect, bringing Gaia to the tavern.

In the few seconds it took for the magic to complete Sirius wondered what a kid with Gaia's reputation would look like. Possibly a ugly hulking brute of a child with muscles that would put grown men to shame.

What he got was nothing of the sort. He wore obviously well used muggle clothing and had a sword strapped to his back in a leather sheath, slung across his shoulder was a simple rucksack. The odd thing however was his front of him stood a near replica of James' son, Daniel. The resemblance was uncanny, if it weren't for the massive scar on his face, long black hair which was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and the deep green eyes, Sirius would have thought he was Daniel. The boy's eyes were just as he had been told, emotionless and dead, aside from the obvious curiosity he was displaying, which would have been cute if it weren't for the lack of anything else in his eyes. Which was a pity really, you didn't see eyes that color every day, the only other people he knew with eyes like that was, James' wife Lily… and her son… Harry. Wait.

It couldn't be, Harry was dead. Well they never found a body, just a whole lot of blood. It took a week and a half to find even that after, Peter kidnapped and presumably killed Harry. They had searched for weeks but never found the boy. It was possible. No, this couldn't be Harry, this emotion less demon, this…killer… no that would be far to crewel a fate. But still he had to know, if not for James then at least for his peace of mind. If it was Harry, then maybe the he would return home, and the Potters would return to how they used to be.

After Harry's death they weren't the same people. James became somber and despite Sirius' best efforts laughed very little. Lily took it far worse, Sirius didn't think there was a single night then Lily didn't cry for her lost son, she blamed herself for what happened to him as illogical as it was. Daniel was in denial of Harry's death, he always said that he was still alive, and honestly there were rare times when he looked to old and sad for someone his age. Maybe Daniel was right, maybe he had sensed his twin being alive this whole time, it was to late for him not to ask.

Just as he was about to speak, Gaia chimed in a monotonous tone, "Chief, I'm going to a private room in the back to discuss the details of the mission with the client." The barkeep just nodded in response and led them to a room in the back.

It was a sparse conference room with a small wooden table and chairs. Gaia sat first and then patently waited for him to do the same. Sirius did so and then spoke, "Harry? Is that you?" god he hoped he was right, not just because he didn't want to look like a fool, but because he knew how much this could mean to the Potters.

"I am Gaia. Although there was a time when I was referred to as Harry."

Sirius' heart felt that it would leap form his chest, this was Harry he wasn't dead, the Potters would be over joyed, now to get him to them. "Come now you can drop the act, I know you names not Gaia it's Harry. Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Potter and brother of Daniel Potter."

Gaia shrugged, "A name is just that. A name. At some point people stopped calling me Harry, and I became Gaia. Although I am suppressed you know me. Are you the Sirius Black, the one that was named my godfather?"

While his philosophy on names was a bit depressing, it was nothing that a bit of affection from a family couldn't fix. More then that Sirius was over joyed that the boy remembered him, he had been so young the last time they had seen each other, and he had been sure Harry wouldn't remember. "Alright then Harry, I'm gonna get straight to the point." The boy nodded at this and paid the Sirius even more attention, "How do you feel about meeting you family?" Sirius closed his eyes and waited for the response, surely a tear-filled response was in order.

"Is it necessary to the mission?"

What? Did he just ask that? "Whats that supposed to mean Harry?"

"That I don't mind meeting them if its mission relevant."

Sirius had been expecting happy tears and a heart felt 'yes!', and if he was being honest, then he had even had the dark thought that maybe the boy would hate his family for not continuing the search. Never did he dream that the boy would be completely indifferent. And then it hit him. Everything they said about him was true, his emotions were gone, he didn't know if he was supposed to be happy or sad or even angry. And if everything they said was true then Harry had died, he had died more then once.

"Well I suppose it is, there son Daniel, your brother, is the one that Peter will be after." Sirius hated that the only way he could get Harry to the Potters was by making them out as important to the mission. Well if he met them then surely things would change. whether it would be for better or worse Sirius did not know.

"Can you give me details on the mission?"

"Of course. You and I will be staying at 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' while we search for a criminal named Peter Petigrew."

"Why there?"

"Petigrew's main target is Daniel and Daniel is at the school, so its reasonable to assume he will show up at some point to make an attempt on his life."

"I see. When will we be questioning the Potters for information on the target?" Maybe this was a good sign the boy was asking when he would be seeing his family. Then again it could just be part of how he worked, it was as the 'Chief' said the boy was a professional.

"Mrs. Potter works at the school as the Muggle Studies professor, as such we can question her right away, Mr. Potter is a Auror, but seeing as he is your father I'm sure he will make all haste to join us. Daniel is a student, as I have said so we should be able to see him with Mrs. Potter."

"I see, multiple separate meetings will not be necessary, it is more efficient to have one meeting when all are present." Sirius felt his heart sink for the umpteenth time that day, how many times would the boy step on his families feelings unknowingly.

"Ah yes of course, one meeting it is then. We do have a slight problem however. I was planning on having an adult with me not a child and as such did not account for it, the professors are expecting two live in adults not an adult and a child, changes may have to be made."

"I see, that is understandable. Most likely scenario?"

"You may have to stay in one of the houses until the mission is completed. You can use magic correct? I haven't seen a wand on you."

The boy shrugged, "I can't use one in my line of work, underage magic is trackable. I have had a few cases of accidental magic though."

Sirius let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. What a tragedy it would have been had the boy been a Squib on top of everything else.

The contractor handed 'Gaia' the wanted poster and watched him scan over its contents, memorizing every detail. It was minutes later then the boy finally spoke. "When do we leave?"

"Next week, thats when the school year starts, we will be arriving before the students."

"My weapon?" asked 'Gaia' gesturing to his back.

Sirius eyed the blade and was tempted to tell him it was against school rules. The boy's steely eyes reminded him however that this wasn't going to school for Harry, no he was leaving on a potentially dangerous mission, he had every right to carry the blade. "It may be needed. Bring it."

"Meeting place for travel?"

"I will be here early morning the day of."

"Understood." With those words the boy stood and stretched his and out to Sirius, waiting to seal the deal with a shake. Sirius responded in kind with a firm shake, to which the boy gave a nod. The boy mercenary then stood adjusted his sword on his back and then walked through the door, his long black ponytail trailing behind him.

* * *

**Payments to the Earth — Spin off Side Story 1— Alternate Infiltration**

"I see, that is understandable. Most likely scenario?"

"Yes. About that. I spoke to the headmaster, in order to hide your identity and avoid suspicion, we enrolled you as a first year." The man grimaced, obviously expressing his fear of the boys wrath.

"That seems to be a logical course of action."

"Yes well there is a slight problem…" There was another pause as the contractor tried to put thoughts to words. "…In order to deepen your cover, the headmaster has requested your entrance as a female." The man closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable. It never came.

"Yes of course, no one would expect a first year girl, to be on the hunt for a dangerous killer." The contractor started in shocked silence. What was with this kid. Most boys his age wouldn't even consider such a thing. Then again, this was Gaia, and like the 'Chief' said, Gaia was a professional.

How will I be disguised?"

The contractor fumbled about in his robe for a few moments before finally removing two vials. "These two potions are permanent 'self-altering' elixirs. One for your age, the other for gender. When the job is complete we will create two potions with the opposite effects to counter these."

And so it was that Gaia was entered into Hogwarts… a girl.


	2. Chapter 2: Arriving to Hogwarts

**Once again Un-Betaed I know I suck XD**

**Well at least I got another chapter out.**

**Just as a heads up this isn't necessarily the finally product for this chapter as there were parts which I felt might need fixing or changing all together.**

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There was a good five foot radius around him in which no one dared set foot, for reasons he did not understand. The clientele of the tavern keep shooting him furtive glances out the corner of their eyes when they though he wasn't looking. He had tried to give a few smiles to them, but they immediately flinched back when he did so, the lack of emotion behind his smile making it frightening. He had given up after a while and felt soft twinges in his gut, twinges which he immediately disregarded as his stomach digesting the rather large meal he had only recently eaten. Even now the barkeep stood behind his counter, softly chuckling to himself while he counted all of the money he had made off Gaia that day.

Since he had taken the job a week ago he had had met with the contractor numerous times. Never in all of there meetings thought the week had the man called him Gaia, only Harry. It was strange to the boy, to be called by a name which he thought forgotten so long ago.

The first few meetings were almost strictly business, a veritable information dump where Gaia would shoot off as many questions as he could about the mission and the contractor would answer. Later however the content changed. Their meetings became a time for the contractor to reminisce and fill the boy in on every last detail on his progenitors, and of the one with whom he had shared a womb. Gaia couldn't care less about the stories, they were biased and unreliable recounting of the past, but they did have the potential to be useful so he listened to the tales. The stories the man told were wild and full of grandure and while the boy could tell some parts were exaggerated there were no blatant lies, at least none he could detect, honestly if what was being said was as true as he thought it to be, this man had probably gotten past harder individuals scrutiny. In some of their early meetings questions were asked about himself.

"So Harry tell em about yourself," the contractor had said.

The boy replied "I am Gaia, professional mercenary, mercenary guild code: 10130. My favorite food is bread. I enjoy drawing and the sky."

The man blanched at this. Really a guild code, in a summery of himself no less. And bread? Really thats just so… He heaved a sigh, "Baby steps, Baby steps Sirius." He whispered in an attempt to sooth himself. At least he had learned something about Harry, however small it might have been. "I see, drawing and the sky, huh. You have your drawings on you?"

The boy nodded an affirmative.

"Can I see them?"

"No." Said the young swordsman coldly, his eyes glinting protectively for the barest of moments before being snuffed out.

"Right then…" Sirius said, trailing off awkwardly. It was obvious that the boy felt strongly on this topic, that had been the most emotion he had ever seen from Harry and Sirius didn't intend to push his luck. Instead he switched back to safer topics for the rest of the afternoon, filling Harry in on Daniel's exploits at Hogwarts the past two years.

The contractor hadn't asked any personal questions since.

He had learned every last detail about his ward, and the ward's family, this past week. Not out of any personal interest as the contractor wanted to believe, but rather in order to assure mission efficiency. In order for the mission to go smoothly, every little detail would be useful, especially if he had to interact often with his clients. Gaia didn't have a reputation for being very good socially. Some said he was to blunt or literal, others said he was loud, annoying, to curious for his own good, depending on the time since his last payment.

The took his pack off and checked his equipment one last time, any moment now the contractor would show up and it would be time for the mission to begin. He first rummaged though his bag, checking to make sure he had his rations, extra clothes, sketchbook, and communication mirror all safely stowed inside. Removing the sketchbook and a pencil, which he set to the side he continued his work unbuckling his sword and reaching around to grab the sheath. The simple leather sheath was just as it appeared, simple, but was also one of his most important treasures. It had been his teacher, Joshua's sheath before then as had the sword, and was given to him as a gift when he began to train under him. Gaia slowly un-sheathed the blade. It was sharpened to a fine point, and the edges shown ominously in the light. The blade itself was a simple longsword, the middle of the weapon had runes, which aloud the channeling of magic through the blade. The hilt wasn't much more then a piece of metal wrapped in leather, which was regularly maintained. The boy straightened as if remembering something and then reached back into his bag and removing a long yellow scarf which he wrapped around his jaw and neck, leaving a good foot and a half to trail behind him. By hiding his mouth and jaw line he managed to create decent if flawed disguise, as was agreed upon by his employer.

Seeing that everything was in its proper place, and that his weapon was in perfect condition the boy re-sheathed the blade and reattached it to his back. Then grabbing the sketchbook and pencil off the floor where he had left them he opened the book to search for an empty page. He flipped past detailed scenery and vast landscapes, which captured natures raw untapped beauty, past carefully recreated faces, filled with a ll the emotion of life,. Gaia then looked to the bar, to the scene of raw greed and glee which was playing out over the 'Chief's' face. He then laid pen to paper and began to draw.

* * *

It had been a week since Harry had taken the contract, a week since he had hired a boy to hunt down a killer, a week since his Dumbledore had restricted Harry's identity. After having left the bar, Sirius had gone straight to Order head quarters, hoping to run into James or Lily. Instead he had run into, Albus Dumbledore leader of 'the Order of the Phoenix." At the time he had taken it as a blessing, figuring Albus would know the locations of the Potters. He had immediately explained the whole situation to Albus, who after brief deliberation decided it would be best that James and Lily were not informed. Needless to say that had not been a pleasant conversation.

"It would not be wise to inform the Potters of this." Albus gave the Black family head a soft smile, trying to win his compliance. He wouldn't back down that easily.

"They have a right to know! This is their son Harry!" Retorted an enraged Sirius. "Do you have any idea how much this would mean to them?" His tirade slowly tapered off into a more pleading tone, "Please, don't make me withhold this, not with how close he'll be to them. They would find out sooner or later."

The old man gained a vacant expression, losing himself in deep thought before responding. "While I do agree that they deserve to know, you have to take into account a few other factors." There was a pause as he tired to find the best way to phrase his statement. "First of all, from what you've told me, Harry is no longer a boy, he isn't what the Potters expect from their long lost son. Have you even considered how Harry's mental state could effect them. With Daniel in the position he is now it would be unwise to cause the Potters undue stress, Daniel needs all the support he can get." Sirius' anger faltered slightly, as much as he wanted to rebuke his claims, he couldn't there was no denying their poor mental states at this point, what with all the danger each year had brought to their son. "Which brings me to my second point. Right now we need to focus on Daniel, he will need all the training he can get if he is to fulfill his destiny, and as sad as I am to admit it Harry would be little more then a distraction right now." Those words hurt and it appeared Dumbledore knew it for he gave Sirius a compassionate look.

"I suppose that your right…" He grudgingly admitted, there was no way around it he would just have to find a better time to break the news to his friends. A time when they would take the news better. "What do we do about his appearance then? I was able to tell who he was no sight. James and Lily would know without a doubt."

"True, very true. Perhaps he has some form of disguise, if what you have told me about him is true it wouldn't be to much of a stretch." Despite his words Sirius could hear the obvious disbelief in that statement, then again he hadn't met Harry, yet. "If he does not have an adequate disguise, I suppose we can just apply moderate glamours and say he is a distant relative, or perhaps that the resemblance is simply coincidental." Mused the old headmaster.

Sirius gave a curt nod and turned to make his leave, Harry would have to be informed of the changes.

While the details were foggy he and Harry had agreed upon a fairly simple double layered disguise. The first layer was effective but simple to the point of flaw. If anyone were to remove the scarf the boy wore they would find his identity underneath. That was where the second part of the disguise came in. Under the scarf they would place a glamour on the boy which would alter his jawline and offset his appearance, a ruse which none would expect, what with him already hiding those things under the scarf.

Snapping out of his recollections of the past week Sirius turned on his heel and apperated to the tavern at which Harry would be waiting.

When Harry had mentioned a scarf he had figured the boy would get something dark and unnoticeable, he was wrong. Instead the Harry had what appeared to be a half giant sized bright yellow scarf, adorning his neck, and Sirius found himself asking about it before he realized what he was doing.

"Bright yellow?"

"It was a gift." Harry responded neutrally.

"From what? A giant?" Sirius asked with some mirth, not really expecting an answer.

"No." His response was straight faced as if the question was serious.

Both were silent, Harry having already given his answer and Sirius slowly figuring that out.

"Right…" Sirius rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "so where did you get it then?"

"The Goblins."

The contractor opened his mouth as if to ask a question and then closed it again as if thinking better of it. He shock his head, making a mental note that he would ask for that story later.

Sirius pulled out his wand and cast the glamour over Harry, subtly changing his appearance to be less recognizable beneath the scarf. He then pulled out a blank envelope and reached as if to hand it over to Harry and asked,"you ready then?" The boy nodded in confirmation, fighting his scarf one last time, before reaching out and grabbing hold of the port key, which activated and whisked them away to Hogsmead.

* * *

As the sensations of the port key slowly faded, Gaia instinctively nuzzled deeper into his scarf, trying to escape the sudden change in temperature.

It was a chilly September day, the leafs were of all the hues of autumn and the sky was the deep welcoming blue of a early morning sky, speckled with the occasional soft white cloud which floated lazily overhead. Truly this was an exceptional morning.

The contractor watched the boy as he stared into the sky, moments became minutes, and just as Sirius was about to interrupt the boy, Harry spoke.

"Its going to rain."

Sirius looked up at the sky for any signs of a storm and found nothing, just a peaceful morning sky. "What are you talking about? Theres not a storm cloud in sight."

Gaia just shrugged and slowly tore his gave from the heavens to lock his gaze on Sirius. "Lead the way." The words he spoke were flat as always and the way he said it belied no other motives behind his words.

Trying to get a rise out of the boy Sirius put on his best idiotic grin and in his loudest most boisterous voice he called out "Alright! Follow me!" Needless to say he got no reaction from the boy, the towns people who were still waking up however had a few nasty things to say from their windows.

Gaia nodded his head apathetically at Sirius' words and feel into step behind him. For the most part Gaia just stared up at the sky with a deep fascination, watching as the dawn light changed hues.

By this point the school was almost in sight they had but one more hill to climb before Gaia would get his first look at his new place of residence. The contractor looked to the boy as they reached the hill top, waiting, hoping that the majesty of the school could spark even a small fragment of the emotion it had invoked in him as a child.

Gaia looked up at the magnificent building framed on the horizon before him, the sun was just rising behind the school silhouetting it in a near radiant light. He stared at the scene for what felt to be hours captivated by it sheer beauty. Until he noticed the contractor's face out of the corner of his eye. What emotion was that? Disappointment perhaps?

"What am I supposed to feel at times like this?" He asked innocently, truly trying to understand the source of the man's sadness, it was obvious to the boy that his reaction had not lived up to the contractor's expectations.

The contractor looked Gaia in the eye, his own eyes are wet with tears that had yet to fall. Why tears? Thought the boy. Tears fell when you were sad, right? Was Mr. Black sad?

There were a few false starts as Sirius tried to answer the question, "I… I don't… I suppose… Happy maybe? Excited? Apprehensive? I don't know…" his voice contained barely suppressed emotion causing his voice to tremble uncontrollably.

"If I am supposed to feel those things then what about you? Are you supposed to be sad?" Gaia stared into Sirius' teary eyes his own were blank and unfeeling.

Sirius bent down and stretched his arms around the boy engulfing him in a strong hug. Gaia went rigid not knowing what to do, or how to react. "I'm not supposed to be sad." Was Sirius' initial response.

"Then why are you?"

"Im not sad for me pup. I'm sad for you." Sirius continued to hug the boy tighter feeling a deep almost indescribable pain for the boy. Gaia stayed rigid in his arms still trying to process the event.

"I do not understand." A few tears slipped from Sirius' eyes at these words, before he schooled his emotions back into place.

"One day pup. One day you will." Gaia just nodded stiffly in response. Sirius pulled out of the hug and was about to start walking again when he noticed Harry hadn't followed. He had instead sat down on top of the hill and was rifling though his bag. Curious, Sirius walked over to the sitting boy who by this point had a pencil and a small book out which he was furiously scribbling away in. Trying and failing to get a look at what Harry was working on he gave up and instead continued walking towards the school calling back to Harry over his shoulder, "Harry we have to get going. Don't want to be late now, would be bad for business."

At his words the boy shot up and nodded at him stiffly, and then snapping the book shut and replacing it in his bag.

"Lets go. Apologies for the delay." Sirius had a feeling he wasn't really sorry.

"Alright then." After a few more minutes of walking Sirius' curiosity overcame him, "What were you doing in that book anyway? Something important?"

Gaia, who was staring up at the sky again, responded absently without a glance towards him, "Laying the foundation."

Sirius inwardly sighed, the boy was being as vague as always, or maybe it was just his way of being direct. "Foundation of what?" he prompted.

"A picture." Was his short reply.

"So you like to draw then?" probed Sirius as he tried to find out more about his godson.

"Yes, I enjoy it."

Sirius gapped at the boy. That was about as passionate as he had ever seen him to be, to Harry this was the equivalent of asking Neville Longbottom if he liked Herbology. Passionate and filled with emotion, or at least as close as Harry would be to it for a while. Still it was good to see even this minuscule amount of feeling in the boy.

The rest of the walk to the school went by in a comfortable silence, with Harry again staring at the sky and Sirius pondering all the things he had learned about the boy beside him over the past week.

When they reached the main gate an Gaia found an old man waiting for them. He was defiantly stronger then he appeared he almost radiated power. He thought he heard Mr. Black call the man Dumbledore.

The old man smiled down at Gaia before asking, "You would be Gaia yes? Sirius here has told me quite a bit about you."

Gaia just nodded curtly, and looked straight into Dumbledores eyes.

For the first time in a long time Albus Dumbledore found him self startled by a child. It wasn't his face really though the long scar really wasn't helping the boy. No it was his eyes, they lacked the large range of emotion you would expect from a weren't the eyes of a child, those were the eyes of a killer, he would have to keep an eye on the boy. He quickly hid his shock however and gave the boy another grandfatherly smile. A smile which faltered when he noticed what the boy was carrying.

"Sirius my boy, would our young friend happen to be carrying a sword?" A hint of disapproval leaked into his words.

Gaia turned to look at Sirius, "I thought you said that chances were it would be necessary?"

"I did" Sirius shifted uncomfortably on his heels, "then again I got permission for that when we thought we would be hiring an adult."

"I am a legal adult, I became an emancipated minor three years ago." Gaia returned, his tone not implying arguing rather a statement of fact.

It was at this point that Dumbledore saw fit to cut in, "Surely my boy, you can use your wand instead?

Gaia's gaze shifted to Dumbledore, "I regret to inform you sir but I do not own a wand, nor do I know how to use one. Without my sword I am afraid I will be useless to you."

"Is that so… well then I see no other option, you will be permitted to carry the blade. However you will of course be expected practice discretion in its use." Inwardly Dumbledore was worried, if what Sirius said about the boy was true, then he had been taking on dark wizards without a wand to focus his magic. If he learned how to do magic properly and combined it with his apparent skill with the blade… he shuddered at the thought, best not to encourage him until he knew the boy wouldn't go dark. He would have to do some digging on this Gaia.

"Thank you for understanding, sir. I will of course show the utmost discretion, so long as I have access to a training area every morning we should have no problems."

"Yes of course I will see what I can do for you. Anyway do come in you two, it must be getting cold out there." Dumbledore turned his gaze back on Gaia as they walked though the long hall, "By the way Mr. Gaia I rather like your scarf." He said with a smile.

Gaia turned his head back to Dumbledore once again as he lowered the scarf slightly and tried his best to smile, look which made Sirius grimace at how hollow it appeared, Dumbledore just gave a sad smile and pat the boy on the back.

The headmaster lead them into a large room, with five long tables. The table at the head of the room was raised off the ground slightly and Sirius mentioned it was the staff table, the other tables were color coded, Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green which Dumbledore explained were representary or the four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin respectively. For Gaia the best part was the ceiling, it looked like the sky, he thought he heard Dumbledore say something about it being enchanted but he was to enraptured by its beauty to pay much attention.

Gaia had always had a deep fascination with the sky it was always changing, yet it was also a constant. While the clouds may shift around the sky and day may become night, no matter what the sky is always there.

The sound of snapping fingers brought him out of his trance. Both Dumbledore and Sirius were looking at him with amused gazes before Sirius spoke, "Dumbledore has invited us to have breakfast with him before we get settled in here."

Gaia nodded his thanks to the headmaster, who smiled benignly back at him, "I have to warn you, I eat quite a bit."

Dumbledore chuckled, at that thinking he saw some normality there in the boy, mistaking his warning as an exaggeration. Sirius on the other hand paled, he knew the boy well enough by now to know that he wasn't one to exaggerate, rather he was ridiculously straightforward and honest.

Gaia shrugged, "I thought it would be best to let you know."

Dumbledore shook his head in mirth one last time before clapping his hands twice, causing a vast array of breakfast treats appear.

By the end of the meal, Sirius was torn between disgust at the amount the boy had eaten and laughing at the expression of pure confusion on Dumbledores face. Not for the first time that night Dumbledore wondered if the boy had some kind of magically enhanced stomach which aloud him to eat as much as he did without his stomach bursting, but with no way to confirm his theory short of dissecting the child, he was left with just that a theory.

"Thanks for breakfast, headmaster. It was quite good."

"Its no problem, my boy…" The headmaster trailed off slightly still awed, "I hope you don't eat like that every morning." He said jovially

"No of course not headmaster," a look of relief flashed across the old man's face if not for his house elves then at least for his peace at meal times,"Normally I have more this is my second breakfast after all." Dumbledore's face fell, where did it all go? "Of course if its to much trouble I don't mind holding back, so long as you are willing to supply me with small snacks thought the day." Normally he wouldn't ask for such a thing but the school seemed to be well off and there was no need to starve himself his he didn't have to. The headmaster immediately agreed, and then after showing Gaia how to summon a house elf, ushered them out to find Sirius' room.

"Mr. Black, was it ever finalized where I would be staying?"

"What have I told you about calling me that?" Sirius sighed the boy was making him feel old again. Gaia just shrugged. "Anyway from what I understand your aloud to come and go as you please, although I recommend staying in one of the common rooms at night, they will be the most comfortable. If you can't get in because you don't have the password you can always crash in my room." He finished with a smile to which Gaia gave a hesitant nod of assent.

"And what of the eating arrangements? The headmaster said something about each house having a table, and I am not part of any house nor am I a member of the staff, were am I to sit?" He asked quizzically.

"I don't know about that, though I'm sure you can eat anywhere and it'll be fine. Just be careful around the Slytherins, they can be a bit prejudiced." Another nod from Gaia confirmed his acknowledgment, and Sirius thought he saw a dangerous glint in the boy's eyes, but it was only there for a second before it vanished.

The two walked down the halls, Sirius pointing out different locations, either as landmarks or as places where he and the other Marauders had played memorable pranks. Gaia stared out any windows they passed trying to get a look at the sky.

Sirius' room was near Gryffiindor tower behind a portrait of a dog howling at the moon. Sirius reserved a place on the couch for him, just in case he ever needed a place to sleep and then began to unpack his things.

Gaia on the other hand excused himself, deciding that he would spend his time exploring the school ground, trying to get a rough idea of the layout. This proved far more difficult then he first anticipated as the stairs had a tendency to move around, but things seemed to stay in at least the same general area.

Before they knew it lunch had passed, Sirius and joined Dumbledore and the rest of the staff in the great hall for lunch, Gaia who was still out exploring on the other hand got a small meal delivered to him curtesy of the house elves.

Now as the welcoming feast approached Gaia sat atop the roof of the school, right above the great hall, he had been there for little over an hour watching as the Hogwarts Express, drew ever closer. His sketchbook was out but he had barely started his newest piece before the train had distracted him. The way the steam puffed out of the train to join the clouds in the sky was captivating. He put his sketchbook away and continued to watch the train he didn't think he would be able to draw much more today.

* * *

**Two Hours Later**

* * *

Gaia was soaked, he had got caught up watching the train and the peaceful white clouds it was emitting, and had drifted off to sleep just before it pulled in, and now, well now he was awoken by the heavy down pour that had come with the students. Gaia stood and walked to a maintenance hatch he had found on the roof earlier and clambered down into it. It had taken him hours to find a way up to the rafters of the great hall, but he had done it and now he would be able to eat and watch the magic-sky up close. Gaia walked skillfully along the rafters stopping just above the Red marked table, seeing as that was where the contractor chose to sit, and he needed a frame of reference.

As he sat down above Mr. Black he began to take notice of what was happening bellow him. A line of children were being sat on a stool and getting a hat placed upon their heads, the hat would then yell out the name of one of the four houses, causing the child to run to the respective table and a round of applause. He figured this was the sorting ceremony that the contractor had mentioned, although he seemed to have arrived at the end of it as the last child in the line was sorted into Ravenclaw ending the ceremony. It was then that the headmaster stood and spoke.

From where he was Gaia couldn't quite make out what was being but by the end the entire hall looked shaken up. Especially the boy who sat right next to Mr. Black who was gripping the younger boys forearm in what Gaia recognized as a gesture of reassurance. Dumbledore said something else which Gaia couldn't quite make out and then Mr. Black stood and bowed and everyone else began looking around for something in the crowd.

* * *

Sirius stayed standing searching for Harry, as did everyone else, they had just been told that a professional mercenary would be staying with the year with Sirius to help look for Petigrew, but none could find him.

Drip

"Gahh! Okay whats with the water?" Every eye in the hall turned to Sirius, and then to two redheads, who responded at the same time,

"Wasn't us."

Drip

"Merlin's Pants! Thats cold!" now all eyes were on Daniel Potter The-Boy-Who-Lived. "Honestly Fred, George, cut it out!"

"Its not us." They responded again.

Drip

This time Sirius looked up.

"…No way…" Sirius muttered under his breath, but in the complete silence of the great hall his words were heard and all eyes followed Sirius'. Up on the rafters was a boy wearing a ridiculously long yellow scarf he was staring at the ceiling and dangling his feat above his two inadvertent victims.

The boy seemed to tear himself away from the ceiling as he sensed the change in atmosphere, he turned his gaze down words to them, specifically Sirius. "Gaia!" Sirius shouted up at him, "Why don't you come down here and introduce yourself, you can eat up there some other time!" he called having already guessed at Gaia's reason for being on the rafters.

Gaia shrugged. And then he jumped. There were screams as people thought the worst. With his long yellow scarf trailing in his wake he made quite the sight. Right before he hit the ground the boy tucked into a ball and rolled with the landing, completing his roll just a few feet from Sirius who he turned back to.

"Its raining." He said simply.

Sirius already getting used to the boys oddities just flashed a huge smile as he said, "You were right it did rain."

Gaia nodded. He then looked up at the ceiling and its magically created sky, and wondered around the great hall.

Dumbledore was the first to snap out of his stupor, "That was quite a feat you just pulled there, young Gaia, I trust it will not become regular?"

Gaia gave a curt nod, "No sir it will not, Mr. Black merely requested my presence and I decided upon the fastest route."

"Very good then… Ahh may I ask what it is you are doing now my boy?" Dumbledore couldn't help himself, at least with Gaia around things would stay interesting.

Gaia looked at Dumbledore like he was asking a stupid question, "I'm looking for the best spot to look at the sky from the floor of the great hall."

"Ahh I see…"

By this point everyone else was snapping out of their shock as well and taking notice of the young mercenary. His sword and muggle attire did not go unnoticed and soon rumors had begun to fly all around the great hall. Gaia however was completely oblivious instead he was seated on the edge of the staff table, hands propped up behind him staring up at the ceiling.

* * *

Lily was shocked, a boy, a teenage boy had just fallen from the rafters, not only that but that same teenage boy was a professional mercenary, what was the world coming to? The boy was unique that much was obvious,he wore old muggle clothing , a half-giant sized yellow scarf, and carried a sword, she hadn't got a good look at his face yet as he hadn't looked away from the ceiling, as he wondered around in circles trying to find the best spot to look at the 'sky' as he had so aptly told the headmaster. It came as a great shock to lily when he wandered over to her end of the staff table and sat on the table to look up at the 'sky' hands propped up behind him completely disregarding her.

"Umm excuse me? Mr. Gaia?" Gaia turned his head, long pony tail whipping around with it, to look at the woman who's table he had sat on,

"Yes?" Lily's heart broke when she saw Gaia's face, while the lower half of it was covered by his scarf the upper half was marred by a large scar which cut from his upper left forehead down into his scarf, but it wasn't the scar that crushed her it was his eyes. They were dead, life less, as if he were just a shell of a human, but the most haunting part of all was their color, the same brilliant green as hers.

"Sorry to interrupt your stargazing but I was about to eat here" she said with an apologetic smile, she didn't know why she felt she owed him an apology, it was her table he was sitting on after all, however she felt she was doing something wrong on some unknown level.

"Ahh I see of course, sorry to interrupt your meal Madame Professor, this is the best spot though." he gave a quick nod and hopped off the table and began to wander again.

By this point people were becoming used to the strange supposed professional mercenary and were going back to their meals trying their very best to ignore the him.

The boy was moving around the tables staring at the ceiling when suddenly he stopped and sat, the Ravenclaws nearest to him shuffled as far away from him down the table as possible, aside from the one he had sat next to. Well thought Lily, at least he sat on a bench this time. By now the older years were fed up with the strange boy bumping into them in his search for the perfect spot so when he finally sat, the conflict was enviable.

* * *

Gaia stopped and sat he had found a new place to watch the sky, it wasn't as good as the other one but it would have to do. He faintly made out the sound of shuffling bodies but disregarded it.

"Hey you! Gaia right?" Gaia nodded confirmation without looking at the speaker. "Look at me when I speak to you!" Gaia just ignored the rowdy older boy. "Look here kid," the voice said with a sneer, "normally to sit at a house table you need to at least have a friend in the house"

Gaia turned his gaze onto the older boy, his eyes locking with the other. The older boy flinched and stifled a shudder. The young mercenary looked around noticing the wide birth the other students were giving him, aside from the one girl sitting next to him. "I need a friend in the house to sit at this table right?" Gaia asked his voice neutral as always, his question was just that a question. The older boy nodded in confirmation, and smirked,

"Looks like you need to leave then."

Gaia just shook his head and turned to the Girl next to him expectantly, "I'm Gaia, lets be friends."

The girl looked stunned for a moment her and she shook her head causing her light blonde hair to fly in every direction, before she composed herself and responded, "I'm Luna, Luna Lovegood, the sky here is nice isn't it?" Gaia nodded absently and then returned to gazing at the sky Luna doing the same.


End file.
